Automobile sled



1. WACHNIAK.

AUTOMOBILE SLED.

APPLICATION man FEB.-21, 1920.

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.LWACHNIAK AUTOMOBILE SLED.

APPLICATION FILED Fia. 21, l'azu.

Patented June 1, 1920.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN WACHNIAK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMOBILE r SLED.

f Specification of Letters'Patent.

v Patented rJ une 1, 1920.

Application led February 21, 1920. Serial No. 360,542.

To all `whom t may concern: i

Be it known that I, JOHN WAcHmAK, a citizen of Canada, residing at NewYork,

county of New York, and State of New provide a motor drivenV sledcharacterized .by simplicity andcheapness of construction, a further`object being to provide 'a novel ,arrangement lwhereby the propellingimpulses may be practically continuous without any noticeable intervalof time therebetween.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and,advantages thereof reference will be lhad'to lthe following description4and accompanying `drawings, and tothe appended ,claims in which of thegripping blocks.

Fig. 4.7is a rear view ofthe sledV j As j here 4shown my improved sled1s formed witha iiooring 1 extending the complete width and lengththereof, and upon which may be mounted a suitable housing 2 for theoccupant or occupants, the forward end 2 of this housing beingdiminished in height, and the wall 3 joining this forward end with theroof of the housing Y having a sight opening 4 which may be closed by aglass pane, not shown. This ooring is rigidly fixed on aAbox-like runnere member or'element havinga flat/bottom 6 and sideV andV end walls 7 and8 respectively,

the 'latter havingy horizontal flanges 9 at their upper ends to whichthe floorl is suitably secured. The bottom 7 forms'the main runningsurface of the sled and 1s preferably rounded upwardly at its front and,rear

l ends as atV 10. Y v j The propelling Vmechanism of the sled comprises.a motor 12,.4 such as a gasolene motor, which is `secured totheundersideof the floor 1 by suitable means such as the bolts 13takingthrough a flange formed on the upper ends of the motor. cylinders, thisvmotor projecting downwardly into the boxlike runner element near theforwardend thereof. Loosely mounted on the main -shaft 14 of the motoris a fiy-wheel having an eccentric circular groove 16 in its outer face.This flyfwheel is adapted to be operatively connected to the motor shaftbya clutch 17 of ordinary construction oper-l ated by a foot pedal 18. v

Projecting into the groove'16 in the flywheel 15 is a pin 20 which isfixed in the forward end of a horizontal pitman-bar 21 which extendslongitudinally of the sled. This link-bar 21 is vpivotally connected, asindicated at 22, toy each one of a series of arms 23 which are arrangedone behind the other and pivoted at their upper ends, to swinglongitudinally of the sled, in brackets 24 fixed to the underside of thefloor 1. Pivotally mounted in the lowerends of these arms 23 are theblocks 25 which are illustrated most clearly in Fig. 3, and have theirrear Ledges beveled or sharpened as at 26 to bite into the packed snowor ice. The pivot points of these blocks are disposed towardA theforward edges thereof so that the sharpened rearedges will rest bygravity on `the snow. y These blocks have U-shaped projections 27 ontheir` upp faces to which the arms are attached, the cross members ofthese projections being adapted to bear against the arms to limit the`downward swinging movement of the beveled edges 26- of the blocks.VVOpenings v28 are provided in the bottom 6 ofthe sled toaccommodatethese blocks.

Connected tol therear end of the pitmanbar -21 is a link 30 which alsoconnectsr t0 one end of a walking beam 31 pivoted midway between itsends o n a bracket 31 depending from the floor 1. The opposite end ofthis walking beam is connected by a link 32 to a second pitm'an-bar 33which extends Yrearwardly in line with the first pitman-barV blocks 37projecting through openings 38 in the bottom- 6.

-K The sledis steered by means of a handn wheel 40 of the typeordinarily used on automobiles which is located in front of the driversseat 41 and is fixed onv the rear end of an inclined shaft 42 j ournaledin brackets 43 Yon the floor 1, the forward rendof this Vshaftprojecting through'anv opening 44 in the forward end of floor 1 andhaving a bevel Vgear 45 on'its ends which engages a 'bevel segment 45'fixed on the forward end Y of a box-like steering runner 46 pivoted at i'comprises'favertical bar 50 slidable in 47 to the underside of thefloor 1, the latter projecting'forwardly of' the main runner elementYand over the steering runner.

VI also provide a braking device which brackets 56 on( the rearV ofthesled and vhaving its lower end forwardly curved as at'51. A bellcrank lever'is fulcrumed on a bracket 53 on the floor nearthe rear endthereof, and has one arm, projecting rearn i "wardly through a slot 54in the housing 2 and connectediby a slotand pin connection 55 to KV'theupper end of the bar 50. .The other arm of this bell crank levercisconnected by va forwardly extending rod 56 to a foot pedal adjacentthedrivers seat. A

Vtension spring 58, connected at one endto cent the .driverTs seat. YItwill be apparent that when the motor is started and fly-wheel 15- isrotating, the engagement of pin 2OV in i the eccentric groove 16 willcauseA the pit- Vman-barf21-to be longitudinally reciprocated,` causingthe arm 23 toA oscillate and the blocks 25 to Ymove backward andforward. 1 yAs the blocks v25 move backward theirsharpened rear edges26'bite into the surface on which the sled` rests and cause the sled tomove'forwardly, the blocks moving forwardly over the said surface freelyon their return movement, the length of the arms 23y and the pivotalpoints of the blocks Y Y being calculated so as to cause this action ofthe blocks.

I When Vthe pitman-bar 21 moves backwardly it swingsl the end of theYwalking beam 31 to whichit is connected backwardly, also, the other endof the walking beam swinging forwardly, and imparting forward movementto the rearfset of blocks 37 throughlink 32,' pitman-bar 33 and arms,34, the lblocks operating on Ythe .surface'on which Y the sled travelsysimilarly Vtoffthe.V

' ivr blocks 275i It Vwill be obvious then that as one set of blocks ismoving, forward the other set is Vmoving backward and that a Vof thesteering and braking devices is not -is released.

'means for causing said thrust 'devices' to l other toY swingYlongitudinallyiof the sled, a

practically continuous and vuninterrupted Vimpulse will be given thesled.

A detailed explanation of the operation deemed necessary, it beingapparent that when wheel 40 is turned the runner 46 is also turned toone side or thefother, and thatV when `footxpedal 57 is depressed thebar V50 is thrust downwardly, the spring V58 automatically raisingl itwhen the foot pedal IVhile I have indicated only one seat in thedrawings itis to be understood that the sled may be arranged to seat asmany persons as desired Vand that thehousing may be lprovided withsuitable doors and windows in addition to the opening 4. i

VHaving thus described my invention fwhat I claim as new anddesir'e to'secure by Letters Patent, ofthe United States Yis as 8,5 follows-V 4 Y'A 1i. In a sled, a motor, a pair V of reciprocatory thrust devicesadapted to `engage the lsurfaceson which the sled is traveling, and movein opposite directions to one another 'in unison, said means includingVa"walki`njg beam, and a connection betweenfopposite, ends of saidwalking beam and the respec!v tive devices. f 95 2. In a` sled, a motor,a series of arms piv- 'Loted at their upper ends to swing longitudinallyof the sled, apitman-bar connecting said arms to operate together,blocks hinged to thelower ends of Vsaid arms and having sharpened rearedges pressing downwardly on the surface on which the sledis traveling,and an'operative connection betweenV said pitman-bar `andthe motor,,said con# nection comprising'a wheel on'thev motor shaft having aneccentric circular grooveon its outer face, and a partV carried by saidpitman-bar engagingin saidfgroove.AY u

3. In a sled, amtor, a seriesof arms piv#r oted at their upper ends onebehind the pitman-bar' connecting said varms to operatetogether,blocks.hinged to the lower ends of said arms and havingsharpened rearedges passing downwardly on,V the surface on which thesledistraveling, a second seriesV of .similar arms pivoted att'heir upperends lone behind the other in a common plane, a

1 pitmanfbar connecting said farmsto loperate l together, blocks on thelower, ends of said 12`0 I arms similargto the` first mentioned blocks,

an, operative connection between/saidwfirst mentioned blocksi'and themotor, and an. opl 1 lerative connection 'between dthewtw ptmangf yVbars whereby .they are caused tofmovein l unisonjin oppositedirectionsg.,

. 4. In a sled, a v motor, a series rampaoted at their :upperendsfonebehindthe Y r other to swing longitudinally lof .the sl'ed,ja

ptman-bar connectingsadlarnis to operate together, blocks hinged to thelower ends of said arms and having sharpened rear edges passingdownwardly on the surface on which the sled is traveling, a secondseries of similar arms pivoted at their upper ends one behind the otherin a common pla-ne, blocks on the lower ends of said arms simi- ,lar tothe iirst mentioned blocks, an operablocks and the motor, and anoperative cona walking beam arranged between the two sets of arms. A

In testimony whereof I have aiiiXed my signature.

JOHN VVACHNIAK.V

